British man sells rare Pokémon cards for $2 million after storing them in attic for 15 years

The man shared that he initially took an interest in the cards because his son had started collecting and trading them with friends at school.

A British man recently sold a collection of rare Pokémon cards for more than $2 million after keeping them stored in his attic for 15 years. The retired decorator from England decided to check the value of his collection after reading about a couple who funded their entire wedding by selling 3 rare Pokémon cards.

The collection, titled Pokémon: A Decade of Masters (1999-2009), included several rare sets. (Ewbank’s Auctions)

According to a press release, the man, who wished to remain anonymous, had collected 42 complete sets of Pokémon cards, all of which were found to be in mint condition. He eventually sold 41 of the sets through Ewbank’s Auctions for more than $2 million, while choosing to keep one for himself.

“When we saw what he had — all in mint condition — we couldn’t believe it, or the fact that he had no idea what they were worth,” James Spooner, head of trading cards at Ewbank’s Auctions, said in a news release.

Spooner added that the auction team was equally surprised when they discovered that the collector had 42 complete sets. “When we then discovered that he had 42 [complete] sets, our jaws hit the floor. We got to sell 41 of them, and he kept one,” he said.

Rare Pokémon collection fetches over $2 million

According to Ewbank’s Auctions, the collection attracted considerable interest because of its extensive range, completeness and excellent condition. “Collectors could not believe how good this collection was — extensive, untouched, complete, and with just about every rarity you could hope for,” Andrew Ewbank, a partner at the auction house, said in the release.

When did he start collecting Pokémon cards?

The collector began buying Pokémon cards when they were first released in England in 1999. He initially took an interest in the cards because his son had started collecting and trading them with friends at school.

“When my son was young, in the late 1990s, he started getting cards and swapping them at school. I thought they looked nice and wondered whether they might be a good investment,” he recalled.

He later found a seller in Malaysia through eBay who offered complete Pokémon card sets. After purchasing a few items, the seller asked him if he would be interested in buying complete master sets, as they had two or three available for each release.

The collector eventually acquired 42 complete sets and carefully stored them in Pokémon binders in his attic. This helped preserve their mint condition despite spending around 15 years in storage.

“[My son] had his own cards, but he never got to touch these, I’m glad to say,” he said.

“I know people always talk about finding treasure in the attic, but in my case that is literally true. I had no idea what I had until the team at Ewbank’s explained it to me,” he added.